


Still, Somehow, You're Perfect Now

by FallingLikeThis



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Boys Kissing, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Insecurity, M/M, Party, Underage Drinking, and josh devine, not them but the other kids at the party, small scenes/mentions of Liam and Niall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:40:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24109138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallingLikeThis/pseuds/FallingLikeThis
Summary: Harry Styles is Captain of the footie team and all-around popular dude-bro-pal to the entire senior class. He’s kind to everyone from what Louis Tomlinson can tell, and kinder still when he thinks no one is looking. Of course, Louis has been looking. Ever since he transferred schools at the beginning of the year and noticed Harry for the first time, it’s been hard to look away.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 16
Kudos: 232
Collections: Walls Fic Fest





	Still, Somehow, You're Perfect Now

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to the wonderful and patient mods of this fest for being so wonderful and patient. XD And to all my betas for all of your hard work.

  
  
  


Louis isn’t really feeling this party. He’s been thinking about leaving when _he_ shows up. 

Harry Styles, Captain of the footie team and all-around popular dude-bro-pal to the entire senior class. He’s kind to everyone from what Louis can tell, and kinder still when he thinks no one is looking. Of course, Louis has been looking. Ever since he transferred schools at the beginning of the year and noticed Harry for the first time, it’s been hard to look away. 

Harry is absolutely gorgeous and his gentle soul draws Louis in like nothing else can. He’d been lovely to Louis when he’d tried out for the football team and he’s been a fair and patient Captain since Louis made it. They don’t really hang out or talk much outside of footie, but not because Harry is disinterested. He always seems to freely give away his time to whoever needs it and Louis is hesitant to take up what little time he has for himself. Louis sees the way Harry always stays after practice to help out when someone seems to be struggling, whether it’s a sports issue or a personal one, and that courtesy doesn’t just extend to his teammates. Seeing how much of himself Harry offers to other people just to be kind, just to make them smile, makes Louis’ heart clench with fondness every time he notices. 

“Hey, Harry,” Louis greets as Harry’s friends drag him further into the crowded house. 

“Hey Lou,” Harry smiles, stopping to talk to him for a minute despite his friends trying to lead him away again already. “How’s it going?” 

“A lot better now,” Louis answers, giving in to the urge that always overtakes him when Harry speaks to him. A little friendly flirting always puts a beautiful sparkle in Harry’s eyes and, even if it never leads to anything, Louis lives to see it. 

Harry’s eyes drop to the ground as his smile widens, like as long as Louis can’t see that sparkle burst to life, he won’t notice how affected Harry is when he meets Louis’ gaze a second later. “Yeah, same.”

“Harry! C’mon, man,” one of his friends calls and Harry glances at them before turning back to Louis. 

“Will you be here for a while?”

“Yeah, a little while,” Louis answers, giving up entirely on the idea of leaving any time soon. 

“I’ll see you later then?”

“Sure.”

“Great,” Harry smiles again. “Have a good time tonight.”

And then Harry is called away again and he goes, keeping his friends happy as he slides on the dude-bro-pal mask that Louis always sees him wear at games and in the hallways at school; anywhere a crowd might be watching. He knows Harry is out at school and he often wonders if this is what Harry feels like he needs to do in order to be accepted as an openly gay man. He doesn’t think Harry needs it to be as universally loved as he is, but he understands him _feeling_ like he might.

Louis watches Harry go until he disappears, swallowed up by the crowd before he turns to grab a drink from the kitchen, and find a place to settle down and people watch for a while. 

He’s sitting on a lounger out by the pool when Harry and his friends wander outside. Some of them immediately jump into the pool and join in on a game of volleyball that’s going on with a beach ball. But Harry and a few others walk around, stopping to talk next to where Louis is sitting. Harry seems to have checked out of the conversation, watching the game going on in the pool as he tugs on the Jersey he’s wearing, pulling it away from his stomach. Louis’ noticed him doing that a few times tonight.

“Hey, Tomlinson. Settle an argument for us,” Niall Horan calls, breaking Louis out of his thoughts. _“I_ think Raina Devlin is the hottest girl in school.”

“And _I_ think it’s Becka Haverford,” Josh Devine adds, both of them turning to Louis to see what his opinion will be. 

Louis notices that Harry is watching him now too and the fact that Harry cares about his answer sets off a fluttering in his belly. Louis hasn’t explicitly stated to anyone at school that he’s gay, but it’s not a secret either, so he has no problem giving Josh and Niall a shrug and a devilish smirk as he tells them, “They’re not exactly my type, fellas. But they’re both lovely girls that are worth more than just their looks, don’t ya think?”

“Ugh, you’re no help,” Niall groans teasingly, waving away his words.

Louis isn’t too bothered when Niall and Josh go back to arguing and forget he exists again because Harry is biting down on a smile that breaks free to take over his whole face when Louis gives him a playful wink.

When Niall and Josh move away, Harry stays and Louis notices him tugging on his Jersey again.

“Something wrong with your shirt, mate?” Louis asks.

Harry seems startled, dropping his hands from his shirt immediately. “What? Why do you ask?”

“You keep tugging at it.”

“Oh, I just uh...,” Harry seems embarrassed that Louis’ brought it up and Louis feels a little guilty about it, thinking maybe it’s a nervous habit or something before Harry continues, “I got a tattoo recently and the fabric is sort of rubbing against it.”

“Oh, that’s cool,” Louis enthuses. He’s always thought that tattoos looked good on other guys. Seeing what people choose to get inked on them forever is always interesting to him. “Can I see?”

“Uh, maybe later.” Harry says, tugging on his shirt again, hesitantly adding, “...and can you maybe not tell anyone else?”

“Sure, Curly,” Louis shrugs. He’s never really been big on gossip anyway so it’s not a hard promise to make.

“That’s it? You don’t want to know why?” Harry watches him steadily, seeming to look for something in his face. Some hint of curiosity or deception maybe.

“Nope. That’s it,” Louis confirms easily. “It’s none of my business unless you want it to be.”

Harry smiles at him, a soft thing filled with gratitude and just a hint of that sparkle Louis loves. “We’ll see.”

*

An hour later, Louis isn’t entirely sure how he’s ended up in the pool house with six other guys, five of them looking for booze while Harry scopes out the bed in the center of the main room. Louis watches as he flops down on it on his back, sighing in pleasure at the soft pillow top mattress beneath him.

“Whoo!” the other guys holler when they find several bottles of liquor under the bar across the room. Grabbing a bunch of them, they quickly disperse to “get this party started”, seeming to completely forget Harry and Louis as the door slams shut behind them.

“That looks comfy,” Louis says, gingerly taking a step closer to the bed when Harry makes no move to get up and follow his friends back out to the party.

“Please.” Harry turns his head to grin in his direction, patting the mattress next to him. “Join me.”

“Careful how you say that, Styles. You’ll get a boy’s hopes up,” Louis teases, moving to lay down next to Harry as requested. He doesn’t get too close so that Harry knows that he was mostly joking. Okay, maybe not _mostly_ joking. The fluttering that’s back in his belly suggests that he’s rather serious, but he definitely wants Harry to know that he’s not going to act on anything that Harry doesn’t explicitly express an interest in.

Harry’s gaze stays on him even when Louis is settled, watching him carefully before coming to some kind of decision. “Hey,” he says softly, waiting until Louis turns to look back at him to ask, “do you really want to see my tattoo?”

“Of course,” Louis says simply, but for some reason his answer makes Harry swallow nervously, taking a deep breath before he speaks again.

“Don’t laugh, okay?”

“I mean, if it’s a cat arse around your belly button or something, I make no promises,” Louis jokes, laughing at the flat look Harry gives him. “But _otherwise_ , you have my word.”

Harry takes another breath, psyching himself up to pulling up his shirt. It takes a moment but then he does it, revealing a massive butterfly on his torso, delicate and beautiful. 

“ _Oh, Harry_ ,” Louis responds, feeling a little breathless at the sight of it. “That is lovely.”

“You don’t think it’s too…feminine?” Harry asks, sounding hesitant and unsure.

“Nah,” Louis answers honestly, fighting the urge to reach out and touch. It’s obviously old enough not to be wrapped still but he knows from personal experience that the tenderness can last a while. “Men get roses tattooed on all the time, hearts for their mums. I think tattoos are what you make of them. Besides, even if it was, I like it. It suits you.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Harry had seemed to like Louis’ answer at first, but suddenly his face darkens. “Why? Do I seem _soft_ to you?”

“What?” Louis asks, wondering where this sudden insecurity is coming from. 

“My father says that I’m too soft,” Harry explains, pulling his shirt down forcefully. “I need to be more manly and less…”

“Queer?” Louis finishes softly. He’s been told that before too. That he’s a little too flamboyant, his wrists too limp. It used to bother him until he decided that life was too short to care about that shit. 

Harry just nods without saying anything. 

“It’s okay to be soft, you know. Feminine,” Louis tries to say but Harry snorts as though he doesn’t agree. “No, I’m serious.” Louis insists, leaning over to slowly lift Harry’s shirt just enough to reveal his tattoo again. He reaches out, hand hovering over Harry’s skin until Harry nods his consent to touch. Delicately, he traces his fingertips around the tattoo, careful not to touch anything that might be sensitive. “It’s okay if you maybe…like it?”

He glances up in time to see Harry shiver under his touch, eyes closing as his body trembles just the slightest bit. When he opens them again his eyes meet Louis’ and there’s a desperation in them that Louis wants to give in to. Harry looks like he’s yearning for it too, twisting onto his side so that they’re face to face, holding themselves up on one elbow.

“ _Do_ you like it?” Louis asks in a whisper, a secret just between the two of them. He reaches up with his free hand, brushing a strand of hair out of Harry’s eyes and caressing his cheek with light fingertips. 

Harry leans into the touch, watching Louis’ face intently as he nods silently. 

“I thought you might.”

“Is it obvious?” Harry asks, voice trembling. Maybe with fear, maybe he’s afraid of everyone seeing who he really is when he’s been trying so hard to hide it. Or maybe it’s excitement at someone seeing through the mask. Maybe he’s been waiting for someone to finally _see_ him. If so, Louis is proud to be that someone. 

“No,” Louis assures him. “Not unless you’re looking closely.”

“And you’ve been looking closely,” Harry says, not asking because he has to know. It must be evident that Louis hasn’t been able to look away from the moment he saw him. 

“Do you want me to stop?” He asks, pretty sure he knows the answer since Harry is inching closer to him. 

“Please don’t.” He can feel Harry’s breath on his lips. 

“I won’t.”

Louis’ eyes shut of their own accord as Harry closes the distance, cupping Louis’ cheek in his hand as he kisses him softly. 

Harry’s lips are warm against his, plump and perfect as they open for him, tongue darting out to graze against Louis’. It feels amazing to be kissing him, elevating Louis to a higher plane as their lips make obscene noises while they make out, slow and unhurried. 

After a while, they start talking between kisses, whispering secrets to each other, making each other laugh. It feels more intimate than any sex Louis has ever had, more precious than any other relationship, and for a moment he gets scared that this is all he gets. One magical night that will be nothing but a memory come morning.

“Harry?” He asks when his fears have kept him quiet for too long. Harry doesn’t seem to have noticed, smiling at him contentedly.

“Yeah?”

“Are we..? I mean, do you want to--” Of course _, now_ his mouth runs out of words.

“I’d really like for us to date, if that’s what you’re asking,” Harry answers decisively, taking the weight off of Louis’ shoulders and laughing lightly at Louis’ relieved sigh.

“Yeah, that’s-- I’d like that too,” Louis says, leaning in to kiss Harry again in thanks. Of course, he shouldn’t be surprised, helping make things easier on other people is what Harry _does_. It’s a part of the reason Louis likes him so much. He does everything heart first. 

“Should probably exchange numbers since we’re dating now,” Harry says against his lips, sounding rather smug about the idea. 

Louis feels rather smug about it too, especially when he sees Harry enter him into his contacts with a heart next to his name. 

*

They text and chat on the phone all weekend but chatting isn’t enough for either of them so Louis ends up going to Harry’s house on Sunday. He meets Harry’s father who doesn’t exactly seem approving but also doesn’t say a word when Louis and Harry close themselves up in Harry’s room to make out.

“You look incredible in that shirt,” Louis says, kissing Harry’s jaw, and then his neck, carefully pulling the collar of the flowery blouse he’s wearing out of the way. 

“Thanks,” Harry says, sliding his fingers into Louis' hair to keep him where he is, encouraging the love bite he’s sucking onto Harry’s pulse point. “My father hates it.”

Louis knows a lot of guys would probably bemoan the mention of someone’s father when they’re making out with them, make a jokey remark about ruining the atmosphere, and just keep going. And that may even be what Harry wants him to do but Louis can tell that this genuinely bothers Harry so he stops, pulling back to settle next to him. 

“No, don’t stop,” Harry whines, looking disgruntled even as Louis puts an arm around him and tugs him comfortingly into his side. “We’re going to talk about my father now, aren’t we?”

“You started it,” Louis chuckles, hugging Harry to him and kissing his forehead affectionately. “This seems like something that’s really important to you, babe. And I don’t want to brush that off.”

Harry looks at him with something that may be adoration in his eyes. It bolsters Louis to keep speaking.

“I know your father is hard on you. And I know I only just met the man, so I can’t really make any big judgments besides hating that he makes you feel like the things you do and like are wrong sometimes. But I want you to know that you can talk to me about that. All of it,” He plays with Harry’s hair as he speaks, not saying a word when Harry looks away, knowing that he must feel pretty vulnerable right now. “I also want you to know that all those things you like, butterflies and flowers and whatever else, they’re beautiful and worthy of being liked. I love that you allow yourself to like those things when the whole world tells us, as men, that we shouldn’t. I think it’s brave and wonderful and I like you so much _because_ of it.”

Harry does look at him now, a small, hopeful grin on his lips as he listens to Louis speak. 

“I like you _so much_ for everything that you are, Harry.”

Harry doesn’t let Louis say much else, surging forward to kiss him gratefully, _reverently_. 

When Louis goes home that night, it’s with kiss swollen lips and a full heart. He thinks -hopes- Harry goes to bed the same way.

*

Monday morning at school, Louis waits for Harry by his locker. When he sees him entering the building, he thinks Harry looks nervous, but the nerves fade a little when he sees Louis, a smile taking over his face.

“Hey,” he says softly, leaning in to kiss Louis hello. 

“Mm, I could get used to that,” Louis grins, quickly stealing another kiss that gets them cat calls from Niall and Liam as they walk by to meet Josh farther down the hall.

Harry laughs lightly at their reaction but Louis can see that it’s shaky.

“You okay?” Louis asks, running a hand down Harry’s back soothingly.

“Yeah, I just…,” Harry trails off, looking down at his hands where Louis notices he’s wearing a pretty turquoise nail varnish. 

“Ohh, I love that color,” Louis says, interlocking their fingers together and bringing their clasped hands to his mouth to kiss the back of Harry’s hand. “Looks incredible on you, babe.”

Harry smiles shyly but holds Louis’ hand tighter. “Thank you.”

* 

Every day that week, Harry wears something new to school. Something he loves but would have been too afraid to wear before without Louis’ encouragement. He gets bolder with each passing day and soaks up the way Louis looks prouder and prouder to be by his side. The thing that makes Louis the proudest though is that Harry seems to be starting to understand that it doesn’t matter what he wears, it doesn’t change who he is. And who he is is absolutely perfect. 

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope you enjoyed this!


End file.
